The Merlin Park University Hospital (MPUH) in Ireland has inaugurated a new €15.33m ($16.61m) outpatient building, which is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2025.

This new facility is part of a broader master plan aimed at improving patient care and hospital infrastructure.

The two-storey building features 38 consultation rooms, five treatment rooms, and virtual clinic rooms, all adaptable for various medical and surgical outpatient clinics.

Some rooms are equipped with specialised equipment and the design prioritises energy efficiency.

The facility features two waiting areas, two reception areas, lifts, staff support areas, and ancillary accommodation.

Additionally, the site offers 88 dedicated parking spaces and 12 bicycle parking spaces.

The new facility represents Phase I of the outpatient department (OPD) plan, with a phased transfer of services from University Hospital Galway (UHG) to the Merlin Park campus.

This relocation is crucial for the long-term development of the hospital, enabling progress on essential projects such as ward blocks, emergency departments, women's and children’s blocks, replacement laboratories and cancer centres.

GUH hospital manager Chris Kane said: “This new facility is a welcome addition that will allow us to expand and improve our outpatient services to patients while providing those services in a contemporary, larger building which creates a much better environment for our patients and to utilises virtual technology and paper lite processes.”

The expansion will also address the need for increased inpatient beds and day case capacity.

Outpatient appointments in specialities such as general medicine, surgery, and neurology will soon begin at the new building.

The second phase of the project is currently in the design stage and will proceed to tender and construction in due course.

Once fully completed, the majority of outpatient appointments will shift from UHG to Merlin Park.

HSE Galway Roscommon Integrated Healthcare area manager Ann Cosgrove said: “The new outpatient building is a significant milestone in our vision for the Model 4 hospital in our region.

“By relocating OPD we can separate low complexity, high volume episodes of care and free up capacity in UHG for complex, acute elective and unscheduled care. These steps are essential to ensure long-term capacity for the growing healthcare needs in this region.”